See Me
by FairyNiamh
Summary: Summery: Kakashi tries to get Naruto to see him, not knowing that Naruto would not be there tomorrow. KakaNaru Story
1. See Me

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, sadly that means I do not own it and have gained nothing but personal satisfaction for writing this.

Warnings: KakaNaru More warnings will be added as time goes by. Slight Angst, Spank,Language, OOC, WIP

A/N: Thanks to my Betas Medeusa and LalaYala. This is my first attempt at a Naruto Fan Fiction so please do let me know what you think. Ja Ne.

**_...K..A..K..A../..N..A..R..U... _**

It's been a long and hard my self-imposed mission to save Sasuke, but it's finally over. So I should be happy right? Who cares that it took me five years to get him back after that stupid promise I had made to Sakura? I mean shouldn't everyone, including myself, be happy? The quick and short answer to that would be no.

No I am not happy that my mission is over. Kind of happy that the Teme is back, but not that it's over. Shit, what am I supposed to do now? I know that being Hokage is not an option. I am after all, the 'demon'. The Elders would make sure I never saw that dream come true. Hell they wouldn't even let me carry my father's last name, so I wouldn't and couldn't 'tarnish' the great Yondaime Hokage's name. What complete and utter crap. I would give my old man an ear full if he hadn't died sealing Kyuubi in me.

The town is celebrating Sasuke's return, well isn't that just peachy keen, of course I am not welcome, no I am actually frowned upon due to how I brought him back. I thought it was quite inventive, even if I do say so myself. I didn't even have to break a limb, which I thought everyone would be proud of, all I did was grab his ear like a schoolteacher and literally dragged him back home. Like I said, inventive, right?

So now, here I am sitting on top of my father's head, depressed and tired wondering what to do next. Maybe I should become a missing-nin, no because then all the Elder's would do is send out a hunting squad with orders to kill on sight. Don't think I should trust my luck or skills that much. Oh well, at least I still have my missions, though I don't like my next mission.

Sighing and looking to the stars I never noticed Kakashi-Sensei walking up on me until he sat down next to me. 'Oh joy, I wonder what he's come to torture me about.' I think to myself.

"They are beautiful aren't they?" I turn and give him a confused look. "The Stars." He clarifies.

"Yeah, I suppose they are."

"You should be happy."

"Why?" I ask bluntly. "Because my whole purpose in training and everything these past five years have lead to me sitting alone and shunned again?"

He tilts he head to the side looking slightly confused. "You certainly do not appear to be alone right now."

I get his point and nod.

"Are you still worried over what everyone thinks of you?" he asks bluntly. Unless it has to do with a mission he does not do subtle well.

"I have to worry about what they think of me Kakashi-Sensei, my well being depends solely on how they are feeling towards me at the moment."

"Naruto, I've really had enough of your sulking." The anger was apparent in his voice and actions as he grabbed my hand and yanks me over his knee and pulls down my pants. Just what the fuck does he think he's doing?

"Maybe this will get your attention!" _**Whack**_ Needless to say I am more than a little stunned when his hand meets my bare rear end.

"Look at those around you." **_Whack_** 'Look at me.'

"Feel how much they need you." _**Whack**_ 'Feel how much I need you.'

"Understand how much they love you" **_Whack_** 'Understand how much I love you.'

" I whack will **_whack_** get this _**whack **_through your **_whack_** thick skull whack One way or another" _**Whack-whack-whack**_ I am seriously believing my ass is fixing to light up the sky if nothing else.

"Let me go Kakashi-sensei!" I yell as I squirm on his lap.

Seriously my ass hurts, I would rather tell Sakura she has the flattest chest in all of Konoha than for this to continue. He pulls me up and grasps my face, ass still bare for all the world to see, ok so not the world but at least all of Konoha, and if it looks anything like it feels, they would not be needing any lights tonight.

"I will not let you go, ever. Don't you get it yet?" he whispers as he leans his forehead to mine.

I close my eyes and sigh softly, "What are you taking about?"

"Baka, I love you." He tells me while pulling me into a hug.

This I cannot handle, hitting and yelling are better than this because I know, "Chikishou, I do not feel like being Arashi's replacement for you."

I also was not prepared for his reaction. I fully expected him to at the very least look away, not laugh! "I loved Arashi like you love Iruka. As a father figure possibly a brother figure, nothing more, nothing less. You may have his looks, but I have also watched you grow from a clumsy and loud child to a very handsome, smart, and brave young man. I only see Uzumaki Naruto when I look at you, not your father."

I stand up and pull up my pants as I walk away from him. Wincing slightly because, yes my ass still hurts. "You've had your fun Kakashi, please leave me alone."

"You think I am joking?" Kakashi asks with hurt evident in his voice.

"How can I not think that? After all who could ever bring themselves to love a demon?" I said dejectedly. The slap that followed those words rang clear in the night. I am now convinced of at least one thing, Kakashi has a sadistic streak in him. A very wide and long sadistic streak at that.

"Do not let me ever hear you call yourself a demon again. Do you understand me? Damn it Naruto, you are so much more than you are giving yourself credit for. Look at all the lives you have changed. 'Look at how much you changed my life' Why can't you see what you have and what you have done, not only for the Konoha but for some of the other villages as well?" He asked sincerely.

"Maybe I can't see because I am always being told the opposite of what you just told me!" I yell, all of my frustration and anger coming out at this point, I just don't care. "I can't even walk down the street without being looked at like I'm something nasty the dog brought in. Yes, there are a few people who see the opposite, mostly my peers, though even they would rather not have anything to do with me. Tell me something Kakashi, how long would it take for them to start refusing to go on missions with me if they knew I housed the Kyuubi? How long would it take for me to be alone again?"

"You won't be alone again. You have me; I will always be here. Iruka knows, so does Sakura and I don't see them fleeing in terror or giving you the cold shoulder."

"I know, though perhaps they would live better lives if they did. Look I need to go and think, just give me some time, please, and when I come back, perhaps I will be able to talk to you. Bye Kakashi." I say softly before heading out to the forest.

TBC...


	2. Kakashi's Mission

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, sadly that means I do not own it and have gained nothing but personal satisfaction for writing this.

A/N:I have NO idea how long this story will be, Some chapters will be longer than others, it just depends on what my mini muse decides to throw at me. Plus, no sure deal on update times, where I write fairly fast, my main beta is slow (She has school and all ya know, I don't.) There was a worry about the spanking being a major point in the story, only in chapter one, though hog tying may occur in future chapters... No not in a sexual manner you pervs, get your minds out of the gutter! On with the story!

...K..A..K..A../..N..A..R..U... 

Tsunade took a deep breath before she told Shizune to let her 'visitors' enter. She really hated those old fools that formed the council. The last time they had come was to put forth an Anbu mission, a mission to rid Konoha of their _'dirty little secret.' _To say that she was pissed would only be putting it mildly. There was no way in hell she would let any harm come to _HER_ gaki. As the council came in she felt a shiver run down her back. Something was wrong, not wrong for the council, wrong for everyone else, she knew it the second they came in smiling.

"How may I help you?" She asked with a straight face. There was no need for masks here, they already knew she hated them.

"You need to remove Uzumaki, Naruto from the missions list."

"Why should I do that? Konoha is swamped with missions right now and we need every shinobi we have." She could feel her eye twitching at the smirking speaker.

"He's left for a mission two days ago, one we set for him, there is no telling how long he will be."

"And what is his mission?"

"Good day Godaime Hokage." Was the only reply she got. She shot a quick glance at her inside informant and saw him nod. She would need sake, lots and lots of sake before the day was through. She waited until they were all out then reached for the scroll that had been slipped onto her desk.

Her eyes widened in horror as she read Naruto's mission. She knew he was stupid enough to accept the mission. "SHIZUNE!" she yelled for her attendant.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama?" she asked unperturbed at being yelled for, she was used to it after all.

"Go find Kakashi and bring him here NOW."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." She left in a hurry. She knew that if she was yelling for Kakashi something had happened to Naruto. She liked the kid, no matter what some of those stupid villagers said; he brought light into the otherwise dull village. She never wanted to see him hurt.

Ten minutes later she was pulling Kakashi into the office and waited to hear word of what was going on.

"You have a mission, gather a four man cell and get moving." Tsunade barked out the order.

Kakashi blinked his uncovered in confusion before smiling and saying. "I would love to Godaime-san, but I need to know what the mission is."

Tsunade threw him the damning scroll before saying. "Make sure your team has people who like him on it, and make sure to find him before it's too damned late."

His eyes widened in horror as he read the scroll. It was making sense now, Naruto's depression and sudden departure, as well as the good bye. "Show me who you have available." He said as he rushed to her desk. He looked at the pictures of the available shinobi thinking of each one and how they interacted with Naruto. He pulled the pictures of Lee, Neji, and Shikamaru out and handed them to her. "Please send off a scroll to Gaara and any other person Naruto is friendly with and tell them, well tell them at least some of what's happening." He ordered before he took off out the window to gather his team and go out looking for the one person who seemed to change everyone.

He gathered his team quickly and started to head out of the village. He was going full speed until Shikamaru cleared his throat. "What's the mission Kakashi?" he asked in a bored tone.

'_Shit, I knew I was forgetting something.'_ he thought to himself before dropping to the ground. "Sorry I was in a rush. Our mission is very simple, we have to find Naruto..."

Neji frowned at those words. "Why do we need to find him?"

"Do not tell me he has become a missing nin!" Lee asked in disbelief.

"Of course he hasn't! He loves Konoha too much for that." Kakashi said with an exasperated sigh. Really sometimes Lee was too much, but he was strong and could help him hold Naruto.

"Then why do we need to find him?" the lazy nin asked while leaning on a tree. Really this mission was already becoming troublesome.

"He's on a mission." Kakashi said quietly.

"So we need to go and assist him on his mission?" Neji replied with what he thought was the obvious answer.

Kakashi took a deep breath before telling the others their mission. He knew that the questions would fly after that. "Our mission is simple; we need to find Naruto and make sure he fails in his mission."

TBC...

Ducks and hides in a dark corner

Next Chapter... Naruto's Mission revealed.


	3. Naruto Mission Revealed

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, sadly that means I do not own it and have gained nothing but personal satisfaction for writing this.

A/N: As stated in the previous chapter, no promises. An extra warning: This chapter and possibly the next two will be Angst (No deaths just Angst.) Then it will get better... err Happier. Happy reading and thank you all for the reviews and votes. They make my muse happy, thus making this story able to continue. (That and I am kinda afraid of what everyone would do to me if I just stopped!) Enough babbling, on with the story!

_...K..A..K..A../..N..A..R..U..._

"Our mission is simple; we need to find Naruto and make sure he fails in his mission."

The obvious questions that Kakashi was expecting erupted on cue. They were all asking questions at the same time and at varying degrees of loudness. No matter that he couldn't understand the jumble of words from his current team, it all basically boiled down to one question, Why?

The copy nin held up his hand to silence the onslaught of questions so he could explain what was happening with their favorite blond.

Taking a deep breath Kakashi explained how Naruto had left on a dangerous mission, alone, two days before. He took another deep breath but it came out ragged. He couldn't tell them the details of Naruto's mission; the words just seemed to stop in his chest. Without another word he handed off the scroll detailing what was happening. The other three team mates stared in horror as they read Naruto's doomed mission. He needed to go and he needed to go now. He needed to see his reason of living again.

_...K..A..K..A../..N..A..R..U..._

Kakashi had piss poor timing in Naruto's opinion. The man couldn't have told him a day or two earlier that he had feelings for him. No, he just had to wait until that damned mission was accepted. He had signed a contract for the mission, if he failed to finish it or came back to Konohagakure for any reason, then the elders could do whatever they wanted to him as punishment. He shuddered at the thoughts of what they could do to him.

He had wanted to say bye to a few more people, not many, just a small handful, but the elders had forbidden him from going to them to say his farewell. Still there were other people that he would like to see one last time.

Maybe Gaara wouldn't be too busy to see him. He smiled to himself as he thought of the ex-Jinchuuriki. The young man had certainly changed from when he first met him. He liked to think that he, Uzumaki Naruto, had something to do with that.

Yes, he would go and see Gaara. He could tell him what to expect. 'Though I wonder if he remembers it.' He knew it was a taboo subject in Sunagakure, but he was sure his friend would open up for him.

He needed to know what it was like to die. He wasn't afraid of dying, the life of a ninja after all was expected to be short, he just did not want to go into the situation unprepared.

'Who knows, I may even meet up with Ero-Sennin and say farewell to him as well.' This thought brought a smile to his face. The old pervert had taught him several techniques that the elders did not approve of. When they had come to chastise him for it he had told them where they could stick their 'out-dated and biased' opinions. Naruto was positive he would not have been as strong as he was now without his guidance.

Still his thoughts turned to more depressing matters the closer he got to Sunagakure. 'Will I be missed at all? Would I be allowed a funeral? Would anyone mourn my passing? Will Konohagakure be safer when I'm gone? Will the citizens live happier lives?' Reaching his destination, he shook those thoughts out of his mind. The elders had assured him that this was needed and wanted by the people of his beloved city and he would do anything for Konoha. Taking a deep breath he passed the well known guards of the Hidden Valley of Sand and prepared himself to ask his friend the needed questions.

_...K..A..K..A../..N..A..R..U..._

"Why would the Akatsuki be interested in Naruto?" Shikamaru mused out loud.

Kakashi stared in disbelief at the question the lazy nin had asked. He had thought they had all known about the Kyuubi being sealed inside his blond loud mouth. He didn't have time for this, every second they sat here and played twenty questions was a second where Naruto got further away from them.

Taking a deep breath he steeled himself before answering the question and telling not only Konoha's biggest secret but Naruto's as well. He hoped that they would be understanding and that Naruto would forgive him for telling them.

"You are all aware of the demon that attacked the village eighteen years ago, correct?" He continued after receiving their nods. "Well Yondaime did not kill the demon, rather he sealed it into an infant child. I know you have all seen Naruto's red chakra. Well the reason for that is because that infant child was Naruto."

"Why would he do something like that to his own son?" Neji asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kakashi was surprised that they knew about Yondaime being Naruto's father yet not about the Kyuubi being sealed inside of the blond. His surprise must have been obvious as Lee was the next to speak up.

"We would have to be blind and dumb not to be able to see that Naruto is almost an exact copy of his father."

"So, why exactly is it dangerous for Naruto to be near the Akatsuki?" Shikamaru asked while yawning.

Really Kakashi had always assumed that the lazy nin was intelligent. "The Akatuki's goal is to control all of the demons and the only way for them to get said demons is to extract them from their hosts."

"I can see where it would be dangerous for everyone, but not Naruto specifically."

"When the demons are extracted it kills their hosts." Kakashi said nearly growling out the words.

His team mates eyes grew wide with understanding. Where Neji and Lee had known that the Akatsuki had killed Gaara they did not know that he was a Jinchuuriki. There was no doubt in their minds why Tsunade-san had wanted this mission stopped. For Naruto to hunt out an Akatsuki and turn himself in was suicide.

"Do we know where to find him?" Neji asked with determination in his voice.

Nodding Kakashi replied, "Naruto is not as stupid as he leads everyone to believe. He's going to want to know as much as he can about what's going to happen to him. There is only one person living who can tell him what he will want to know. He's going to go and talk to the Kazekage, I'm sure of it."

They all took off with hope that Kakashi would be right and they would find the blond shinobi who had given so much of himself at their destination.

TBC...

Next Chapter: Answered questions and possible meetings.


	4. Feelings and Meetings

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, sadly that means I do not own it and have gained nothing but personal satisfaction for writing this.

Warnings: KakaNaru More warnings will be added as time goes by. Slight Angst, Spank,Language, OOC, WIP

A/N: Special thanks to cutsycat for being my beta and constantly being on my tail about finishing this. Special Warning for this chapter; This has turned full blown angst and this chapter is centered around Naruto and Gaara's friendship. (It will get better I swear it will!) Runs off to hide. I LOVE YOU ALL!! DON'T KILL ME!!

...K..A..K..A../..N..A..R..U... 

Taking a deep breath he passed the well known guards of the Hidden Valley of Sand and prepared himself to ask his friend the needed questions. Nodding to the few people he knew on the streets he continued on his was to the Kazekage's tower. He hoped that Gaara would be there. He was stopped at the tower's door by Temari, she quickly explain that Gaara was busy but would meet him at his place if he would please wait there for him.

Naruto nodded in understanding and followed her to the Kazekage's place. Naruto had never been a patient person and this particular wait was a slow torture to him. It took well over a day for Gaara to make his appearance. He kept going over all the things he had wanted to do before this mission was assigned to him. The people he wanted to get to know better, the love that was finally acknowledged. 'Love that I always wanted and needed, it was just right there and I kept looking the other way. I only saw Sasuke and what I thought was everyone's need for him.' He shook away the tears that where starting to form in his eyes as the door opened.

Gaara watched impassively as his friend shook away his tears. He knew the reason why Naruto was here, but he wanted to hear it from Naruto's own mouth. If this mission was something that he truly wanted to do then he wouldn't stop him. He would let him know how sad it would make him to know that the person who had saved him from himself would not be there to catch anymore of his mistakes.

"Hey Gaara. How have you been?" Naruto said while plastering a fake grin on his face.

"I am doing well." he replied with a nod.

"Still not getting any sleep?" the blond asked while walking over and touching his friends eyes. "You need sleep for your mind to function right. You don't have to worry about Shukaku anymore, so you need to sleep."

Gaara blushed a little at Naruto's touch. He still wasn't use to physical contact even though the citizens of Suna now accepted him they still did not initiate contact with him. He cleared his throat and asked why Naruto had come.

"I needed to apologize to you." he replied with his head down.

Gaara raised one of his non-existent eyebrow in confusion. Why would Naruto need to apologize to him? He had made him see that he was on the wrong path and showed him a better way to live other than killing. The confusion must have shown on his face, for Naruto went on to explain why he was apologizing.

"I should have found you sooner, then neither of us would have had such a lonely childhood. No one deserves that. I should have tried to talk to you before I fought with you in anger, then maybe we would have become friends sooner. And I guess the biggest reason is... I need to ask you about something... something painful, and I'm so sorry."

Gaara unlatched his gourd and set it down next to a chair before dropping heavily in it and waving Naruto to sit down. "You owe me no apologies. Suna, no I owe you a great deal."

Shaking his head in denial Naruto replied, "I let you die. I... I couldn't get to you in time to save you. How can I owe you anything?"

"You tried to save me while the elders here looked to replace me.You brought someone who could save me with you and touched her enough that she did save me. I was told that you cried for me when you found out I had died, that is more than I ever thought that anyone would do. Who would miss a monster after all?"

"You're not a monster, you never where, not to me." Naruto whispered.

"To you, maybe not, but you know how Jinchuuriki are treated. There are still some people afraid of me even though I no longer have Shukaku in me. You wanted to ask me some questions, did you not?"

Taking a deep breath and nodding Naruto asked the one question that he was afraid of the answer. "Did it... did dieing the way you did hurt?"

"Physically it hurt a bit at the beginning. Mentally though... mentally it hurt a lot. I wondered if anyone needed me, wanted me, would miss me, would mourn me."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgment. Physical pain was something he was used to. He had pretty much become immune to it before he became a shinobi. The villagers had often beat him or simply thrown things at him. The mental pain... the mental pain he was already going through. He had been asking himself those same questions since he had set out on this mission. He really wished that he could answer those questions, then perhaps this damnable mission would be easier to go through.

"Are you going to go through with it?" Gaara asked while watching his friends inner turmoil.

Naruto looked confusedly at Gaara.

"The mission to turn yourself over to the Akatsuki." Gaara clarified. "Are you going to go through with it?"

"How... how did you know about that?" Naruto asked wide eyed.

"Your Hokage cares about you very much. She found out and sent out pleas to anyone she could think of to detain you."

Naruto stood up and started to make his way to the window. "Please don't stop me Gaara. I have o do this. It will best the best thing for everyone."

"I am not going to detain you Naruto. Though I do have to ask you a few things. Please do not run before I have that chance."

Nodding Naruto moved back to settle in the chair that he had just vacated.

"Why do you want this mission to be successful?" Gaara asked bluntly.

"The seal that's holding the Kyuubi at bay is weakening. I don't know when it will break, but I don't want anyone to be hurt by it."

"Have you asked your Hokage, or anyone else about strengthening seal?"

"Yondaime died sealing this beast inside me. I don't want to risk that someone must die just on a possibility of strengthening the seal."

"Would that not be their choice? Are you not taking away their chance to keep you?"

"I will not have someone die to save me!" Naruto yelled while jumping to his feet.

"Sit back down Naruto," Gaara ordered. "Do you think I asked Chiyo baa-sama to die for me? From what I understand it was her choice."

"I know you didn't ask for it Gaara, I was there. This is different though, you were, no you are needed by so many people. Temari and Kankarou both love you, the people of Suna have grown to love you as well. So you're needed and wanted, I'm just... Naruto the goofy prankster. No one will miss me."

"What about your precious people? Will they not miss you? Don't you think they need you.?"

"Sakura finally has Sasuke back, so she doesn't need me. Tsunade baa-chan needs to focus on training a new Hokage. Iruka-sensei will miss me, but I hope Kakashi-sensei will help him see that this is for the best."

"Is that the only precious people you have?"

"One other, but I am sure you will understand me doing this."

Gaara gave a tiny smile at the thought of being one of Naruto's precious people. "Sorry to say, but I do not understand why you are doing this. You are very important to many people and it would sadden them to hear you are dead."

Naruto stood up and smiled while removing the necklace that Tsunade had given him. "Here give this to Konohamaru."

Gaara took th necklace and gave a quizzical look to his friend.

"It's the necklace the Tsunade gave me when I completed the Rasengan jutsu training. It showed that she thought I could be the next Hokage. Please tell Tsunade baa-chan that Konohamaru will carry that dream now and that this time the necklace wasn't the cause."

Gaara looked out of the window and saw his guards signal. _'Just a little bit longer.'_ he thought to himself. "Naruto," he said aloud "I don't want you to do this. Who knows the pain I have gone through better than you? You are one of my precious people and I don't want to lose you."

Naruto stood and touched his friend's chest saying "My body may not be here anymore after this, but I'll always be in here. I have to do this, please understand."

Gaara touched the place where his Friend had touched him and clutched tightly. It hurt worse than when Yashamaru had tried to kill him. He couldn't and wouldn't lose any of his precious people, especially not Naruto.

"I can't understand why the person who taught me how to feel more than hate would leave me alone in the world again. I thought you had told me you felt and understood my pain Naruto, was it a lie?"

"It wasn't a lie Gaara, you know that, and you won't be alone again. You have precious people other than me." Naruto pleaded with his friend to understand why he had to do this.

"I didn't just hand myself over the the Akatsuki like you're doing. I fought to save this village and the villagers. Before I had you in my life I would have happily let them destroy everything while fighting only for myself. How am I supposed to react to this? Am I supposed to be happy that you will die? I am sorry Naruto." Gaara said evenly while staring at his friend. "I can't let you do that."

Naruto's eyes grew impossibly wide as Kakashi, Neji, and Lee ran through the front door. _'No I can't face them, not now! I have to run!'_ he thought as he made his way to the open window.

"NARUTO!" Lee yelled as the blond reached the window.

"I'm sorry. I'm doing this for all of you, believe in me!" He yelled as he leaped out of the window onto the small roof below. _'I'm going to make it. I'm going to save them all.' _Naruto thought as his feet touched the solid ground.

TBC...

Next Chapter: Negotiating A Return?


	5. Negotiating A Return

_Disclaimer: _Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, sadly that means I do not own it and have gained nothing but personal satisfaction for writing this.

_Warnings: _KakaNaru More warnings will be added as time goes by. Slight Angst, Spank,Language, OOC, WIP

_A/N: _Special thanks to cutsycat for being my beta and constantly being on my tail about finishing this. (Yeah without her I could have hid and finished this chapter later.) Thank you everyone for the reviews. They feed my muse and a feed muse is a happy muse.

_Special Notice: _Updates will now be slower as I have caught FF to all the other places posted. (Aka this is all I have written for now folks.) BUT I will update and I will finish this story, if for no other reason than to keep cutsycat from hunting me down and beating me half to death to finish it. Gotta love a persistent Beta.

_...K..A..K..A../..N..A..R..U..._

"I'm sorry. I'm doing this for all of you, believe in me!" He yelled as he leaped out of the window onto the small roof below. _'I'm going to make it. I'm going to save them all.'_ Naruto thought as his feet touched the solid ground.

His eyes widened in fear as his foot became lodged, he looked down in a panic only to see the one thing he was not expecting. Looking to his right he saw an annoyed face before hearing, "Tch, always so troublesome."

"Shikamaru, let me go, you have no idea what's going on." Naruto said in a rush.

"I know exactly what's going on. Tch as troublesome as you are, I don't think you need to go through with this."

Shikamaru let go of his jutsu after seeing the sand come down and secure his captive and hauling the panicked blond back through the window.

Once inside the now full room Naruto continued his rant about them not knowing what was going on and to let him go. Gaara had finally tired of hearing his friend going on before covering his mouth with sand.

"We understand what is going on Naruto. But do you really realize what pain your death would cause?" the Kazekage asked quietly.

Naruto gave him a confused look indicating that he didn't know.

Sighing the young red head sat down across from him and went on. "You told me that you didn't want anyone to die for you. Did you know that you could have died when you helped Chiyo-sama save my life? How do you think I felt afterward finding out that my friend could have and would have died before I ever had a chance to thank him?"

Gaara waved his hands to the others when Naruto averted his eyes from him. Perhaps one of the others could save the blond from himself.

Lee was the first to step up and speak to Naruto asking him, "Who shall I shed the sweat of my youth with if you leave? You are the only one who is willing to fight with me. When my legs were crushed and I was crippled you gave me strength to keep trying. You proved the a hard worker could beat a genius. You encouraged me to continue to ask Sakura-chan out. You are also the God-Father of our little girl. How should I explain to her that Uncle Naruto will never come around anymore?"

Shikamaru continued when he saw that Lee was too emotional to continue. "You were one of my first friends. We used to skip Iruka-sensei's class together, get into trouble together, and the laugh about it. Who will laugh with me now when we see the younger generation cause the same trouble as us? Who will nurse my plants back to life? Who can I tell my hearts desire to without them laughing at me? Who will come to me in the middle of the night and let me cry on their shoulders when I have had to kill someone when I was on a mission?" Shikamaru shook his head and indicated to Neji that he should speak.

Neji looked deep into the sky blue eyes before he started to speak in a hushed voice. "When we first fought you had told me you would become Hokage and that our destinies were not preordained like I had always thought it was. You taught me to fight for my freedom. You promised that you would change the Hyuugas and make them remove the branch family's cursed seals. Our seals are still in place, so who will have them removed for us? Who will open our cages and free us from it? Who will hold me up when I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders if you are gone? Who will help me hold my head up when I want to hide? Who knows my pain better than you?" Neji stepped back and shook his head in disbelief at what he had said. Only Naruto could get him to open up like this.

Kakashi wiped away the tears he could see forming in the blond's eyes before speaking. "Who will eat ramen with Iruka? Who will keep Hokage-sama from doing something stupid? Who will help Sai when his emotions confuse him? Who will keep Sasuke from leaving again? And if he does leave again who will have the courage to bring him back? Who will Chouji have eating contests with? Who will keep Kiba in line? Who will get Hinata to open up to the love of her life? Who will get Shino to see what is in front of him? Who's smile will brighten everyone's lives?" Taking a deep breath he continued in a softer voice, "Who will accept my love freely? Who will be my sun? Who will give me a reason to come back after a hard mission? Who will give me the will to continue living? Tell me Naruto, if not you then, who?"

Kakashi motioned to Gaara to have him remove the sand covering Naruto's mouth so the blond could finally speak. "You don't understand everything that is happening Kakashi." were the first words that were whispered from his mouth.

"Then tell me, help me understand Naruto because, right now, I can't understand what the hell is going on." Kakashi begged. "Everyone please leave us to talk alone. Gaara could you please remove this sand?"

"Will you run if I let you out of the sand?" Gaara asked the blond.

Knowing that a lie would be detected he answered truthfully by nodding his head. Gaara growled low in his throat before going to the guards outside his door and giving a hushed order. Everyone waited in silence as the guard left to do whatever that was ordered of him. Minutes later the guard returned and handed the Kazekage the requested item. He looked at Naruto then sighed, he didn't want to do this to his friend, but he had no choice. He placed the metal collar around the blond's neck, then proceed to uncover his arms and place him in cuffs and then again with his legs. He looked mournfully at his friend who looked like a fugitive in chains before saying "This will suppress your chakra so you can't use your jutsu to escape. Kakashi-san I am trusting that you will be able to handle things from here."

Nodding an affirmative, Kakashi watched everyone file out the door. When the last person was out and the door shut behind them he turned to his blond captive and pleaded with him to tell him what was going on.

"The seal keeping Kyuubi in has weakened considerably Kakashi. She could sneeze and it will break and then she will be free to do what she wishes." Naruto admitted to him.

"So she has been trying to break out?" Kakashi asked wide eyed.

Naruto looked at him on confusion, "No, that's what is troubling me. She's been quiet and almost calm. It's like it's the calm before the storm you know?"

Kakashi sighed in relief then an idea came to him. "Naruto, have you asked Kyuubi why she hasn't been trying to come out?"

"No." Naruto confessed. "I'm- I'm afraid to ask."

"Try talking to her, but for all of our sakes be polite, please."

Naruto nodded before turning his thoughts inward to speak with the demon.

_'Kyuubi-san, I need to speak with you.'_

_'What do you need kit?' Kyuubi replied with a bit of amusement. She had been listening the whole time and wanted to know what he would say._

_'Why haven't you tried to break out lately?' Naruto asked bluntly._

_'Kit, I'm old and tired, I feel it's about time I retired.'_

_'What do you mean retire?'_

_'Look Kit, I lost my mate and my litter a long time ago. I held onto my anger about that for a long time. Then when I was sealed in you I resented the restraint. I felt like the humans were trying to control me yet again. I hated that they kept trying to control me and use me for their wars. I was sure that you would do the same thing to me. When I noticed you only used me when you absolutely had to in order to protect your loved one I started to think of you differently. I couldn't stop from coming out when you were very angry, because your emotions were broad casted to me and I felt them strongly. You are my Kit, so I wanted to hurt whatever was making you angry or hurting you. You've calmed down considerably now that you have matured.'_

_'Wait, what do you mean I'm your kit?'_

_Kyuubi snickered before continuing 'Out of all that I said that was the one thing you latched onto huh? Remember that I said I lost my litter? Well I have come to think of you as my kit, my child. I would not have let you go through with this mission. I wanted the others to be able to talk you into staying, though if they couldn't I would have let you get to the Akatsuki's lair then killed them all for touching you. Then I would have made you go back to Konoha where all your important people are. Listen to them Kit. You are needed and loved, and your mate once told you that you had the power to change people, let me add that you have the power to change demons as well. I will not break out of here, I do not want to hurt those that are dear to you. I will protect you and help you protect them as well. Go home Kit, this is a fools mission that is not needed.'_

_'My mate?'_

_'Yes the man in the room with you now. Did you even listen to a word I said to you?'_

_'I did, just the mate thing threw me for a moment. So I have your word that you will not try to break out?'_

_'You have my word. I may grumble from time to time about you being thick, but I will never hurt you in any way I promise.'_

Naruto smiled a real smile for the first time in a long time before looking at his mate and saying "Take me home Kakashi."

TBC...

Next chapter, Coming Home


	6. The Trip Home

A/N: Special thanks to cutsycat for being my beta and constantly being on my tail about finishing this. Sorry that this update is so late. . Real life got in the way of writing, which it's bound to do from time to time. Hopefully the next update will be quicker as well as longer.

Sorry that I did not get to respond to all of the reviews. Thank you all for reviewing this, it means a lot to me that you take the time out of your lives to leave me a review. That and it feeds my beta. OK enough talking and sappy stuff! On with the real reason you are here… The story!

_Extra Warning:_ There is an ALMOST lemon in this chapter, if you don't like then just skip to the end.

_...K..A..K..A../..N..A..R..U...___

Naruto smiled a real smile for the first time in a long time before looking at his mate and saying "Take me home, Kakashi."

"Your talk with Kyuubi went well?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, seems she wants to retire and I get to play retirement host now."

"Sounds like fun. How about what we talked about before you left?"

"Hmm, yeah about that." Naruto murmured while gently pushing Kakashi into a chair behind him.

"I take it that you are finished thinking and the answer is favorable?" he whispered.

"You could say something like that." The blond whispered in his ear before straddling the copy nin's lap and placing a chaste kiss on the cloth covered mouth.

"Is that all I get after all the heartache you caused me? A chaste kiss?" Kakashi asked while raising one of his eyebrows.

"You haven't invited me to do more." Naruto said while grinding his hips suggestively on Kakashi's lap.

"Ah, I see, you need an invitation do you? How about I just take what I want then?" was the whispered reply; before he slowly lowered his facemask and tenderly placed his lips on the rose colored lips before him.

He lightly licked Naruto's bottom lip, begging for entrance. He groaned as his request was granted. The blond tasted exactly how he had imagined he would. He placed his hands on the hips in front of him to add pressure to the wonderful friction that Naruto was causing with his grinding hips.

They were close; so close. Heaven was just right around the corner. Their moans of enjoyment quickly turned into groans of disappointment as they heard a throat cleared at the doorway.

"If you don't mind… could you two find some place other than the Kazekage's house to make out?"

"Meh, gomen Kankuro, just a spur of the moment thing you know?"

"Well by the _'moment'_ I am guessing that Naruto is either dying or he agreed to go home. So which is it?"

"He's coming home," Kakashi said with a big grin while tightening his grip in the blond. He knew Naruto was embarrassed about being caught, but he didn't care, he finally had the one he loved in his arms and wasn't letting go.

"Well be glad that it was me that came in instead of Gaara or Temari," Kankuro said while rolling his eyes.

"Why?" Naruto managed to squeak out while still hiding his face in his mate's chest.

"Gaara would have killed you both for making out in his favorite chair and Temari is lurking around with a camera waiting to get snap shots of you both."

"Wait, wait! How does she know about me and Kakashi?" the blond asked while bugging out his eyes.

The puppet nin just shrugged and said the one word that explained it all, "Shikamaru."

"I'm so going to kill him. Why would he tell her about Kakashi and me? Hell how the hell did HE know?"

"You wear your heart on your sleeve Naruto," Kankuro said while rolling his eyes at how obvious the two had been, "and when it comes to you, Kakashi tends to get a bit emotional."

"Kill me now." Naruto murmured while trying to bury himself further into the jounin's chest.

"Hey at least we won't have to hide it now."

"We weren't hiding it before hentai! There was nothing going on before this. Oh Kami, Iruka is so going to kill you."

"Meh meh, surely you're over acting there a bit."

"Whatever," Naruto said while getting off of his mate's lap. "I suppose we better bring everyone in and figure out what's going to happen from here and could you please release me from these chains?"

"I don't know about that Naru-chan," Kakashi whispered into the blond's ear, "I kind of like having you all tied up like this."

"You do realize that I am beating the crap out of you as soon as these come off, don't you love?" Naruto said with a big grin as he watched everyone file into the room.

It had been decided that they would stay one more night in Suna to allow Kakashi's team a night of rest before heading back to Konoha. Though the shinobi were all a bit worried when Gaara had announced that he would be making an official visit and leaving with them.

To Kakashi's dismay he would be denied Naruto's presence again that night, as there was no more room in the Kazekage's house, thus forcing the team to stay at a hotel while the blond would be spending one more night with the Kazekage. Gaara didn't fully trust him not to try and run away again and had posted guards around his house to make sure that he wouldn't try to escape and continue with his mission.

The trip back to Konoha was uneventful and boring. Everyone was high strung and there was a round the clock watch again, just in case Naruto decided against going back home.

As they neared their destination, Naruto dropped to the ground and stood frozen with wide eyes.

"Oy, Naruto what's the problem? You're not thinking of changing your mind are you?" Kakashi asked worriedly.

The blond shook his head in response to the question before saying, "No, that's not the problem. Gaara do you remember everything we talked about?"

Nodding his head he looked into the cerulean eyes of his friend silently asking him what the problem was.

"I signed a contract remember? I can't just walk back in, Kami only knows what they have waiting for me."

"What contract?" Kakashi asked suspiciously.

"I signed a stupid contract giving the elders permission to punish me any way they saw fit if I failed the mission." Naruto mumbled while hanging his head.

"You…" Kakashi couldn't get the words out that he felt like screaming at Naruto for doing such a stupid thing.

Gaara just shrugged and pulled a scroll out from his robes. He had already anticipated this problem occurring. He released the seal and held up the chains that he had used to detain the blond at his house with. "Will these be helpful?" he asked quietly.

"Gaara you're a genius," the blond said before pulling his best friend into a tight embrace.

Kakashi sadly placed the chains on Naruto, where he would have loved to have him in chains for his own 'personal' use, he hated to put them on him just to fool the stupid elders. Naruto was not some monster to be chained and dragged around, he was… he was the love of his life and really the true fire of Konoha.

The team was quiet and somber as they positioned around Naruto like he was some sort of criminal. Silently and sadly they passed through the gates of Konoha.

_TBC…_

**Next Chapter**: Citizens and plans for the elders.


	7. Reactions to Coming Home

A/N: Another short update, faster than the last, hopefully my muse will let me write again soon. Again thank you to cutsycat for betaing this story and thank you all for your reviews. Ja Ne.

…K..A..K..A../..N..A..R..U…

The team was quiet and somber as they positioned around Naruto like he was some sort of criminal. Silently and sadly they passed through the gates of Konoha.

'_This is stupid Kit.' Kyuubi grumbled as they walked through the gates. 'Why don't you just let me scare the elders into behaving? I won't kill them, promise.'_

'_No, look things will work out I'm sure of it. If Gaara and the others can't make them come to their senses… then I will let you come out to play.' Naruto thought with a bit of a grin._

Kakashi raised his eyebrow as he noticed Naruto's grin. The blond shook his head in response to the silent question and then went back to looking somber.

The walk through town and to the Hokage's office should have been a short one. It seemed the villagers were outraged at seeing the blond in shackles. Naruto was shocked and touched to hear them demanding his release. Threatening various things from refusing them service any longer to bodily harm. Those that did not yell threw food and other objects at the team.

He jumped back when the knife that Neji had ducked almost hit him. The thrower stood in shock and kept apologizing to Naruto over and over. He had to fight back his tears as he thought of what he had almost done. He was sure that his death was what Konoha needed; he didn't even want to think of what would have happened if the mission had been successful. He was grateful to his friends and Kyuubi for making him fail in his mission.

Naruto broke from his musing just in time to see a blur break through his surrounding i guards /i and barrel into him.

"Naruto-Niisan what have they done to you?" Konohamaru asked while grabbing the blond around his waist.

"Shh, it's ok otoutosan, they are doing what they have to do." Naruto said while trying to calm down a very angry genin.

"Why do you have my Niisan in cuffs you big bullies?" The young nin said as he turned his attention to the captors.

As much as it touched Naruto that the young nin looked up to him and was worried about him, he didn't have time to explain what was going on. Growing tired of waiting for the young man to wind down Naruto placed his hand over the current loud mouth. "Konohamaru, I promise after everything is over I will explain what is happening. Right now though we don't have time. Plus if you don't stop yelling at them you will feel really bad when I explain why I am in cuffs. OK?" he whispered.

After he received a nod he let go of the young nin. "Promise you will tell me?"

"Have I ever broke my word to you?" Naruto asked seriously.

Konohamaru shook his head then turned and grinned maliciously at the men surrounding them. "You better hope that Iruka doesn't see this. You won't get off so lucky if he does." With that bit of wisdom Konohamaru took off to the training grounds.

"Was I ever that annoying Kakashi?" Naruto asked seriously.

Kakashi looked over to the blond and grinned widely before answering, "No, you were worse. You were louder, more persistent, and a lot more hyper. Now if you don't mind we need to get to the Hokage's office."

The blond glared at his mate's response before turning to walk to their destination. As they neared the building Naruto paused and looked on in horror as he saw the one person he knew should be avoided at all costs. He saw Iruka walking with his arms full to the missions building. This was bad; he knew that someone was bound to get hurt if Iruka actually reached them.

"Everyone… umm… yeah… run, run fast and run now. It doesn't matter the direction just do it." Naruto told his friends in a bit of a panic as he saw Iruka notice them and drop the scrolls that he had in his arms.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes before stopping and looking at his stunned captive. "Tch, you're troublesome, the Hokage's office is just a few feet away, why should we run?"

"That's why." Naruto squeaked out as he saw the usually calm teacher tackle and strangle his mate.

"What have you done to Naruto you perverted old scarecrow?" Iruka asked as his hands found their grip.

"Iruka sensei let him go!" the blond in question said in a panic.

"Not until I get some answers!" the brunet said while squeezing harder on Kakashi's neck.

"Please let him go," Naruto pleaded as he noticed his mate start turning blue. "He can't answer if you're choking him."

Seeing the truth behind his favorite student's words, he reluctantly let go and allowed the gray haired nin to breath.

Kakashi coughed as oxygen was allowed back into his lungs. He gave the blond a silent thank you, since he couldn't yet speak.

"Now I ask you all, once again, what have you done to Naruto?" he asked as he glared daggers at the surrounding shinobi.

The shinobi in question looked at their old sensei nervously. They couldn't talk about what was going on out in the open, then again none of them wanted him to lose their tempers at them either.

Gaara cleared his throat before trying to explain that they couldn't answer. Much to his surprise he was not above getting into the proverbial doghouse with Iruka.

"And YOU," Iruka ranted at the Kazekage "You're supposed to be his friend. Why on earth would you allow them to do this to my Naruto? You're a Kage for Kami's sake, couldn't you stop them?"

"Iruka sensei," Naruto said softly, "Please stop yelling. Things are not what they appear. Why don't you follow us to Tsunade Baa-chan's office so you can find out what is going on?"

"The explanation had better be very good Naruto." Iruka said as he stood up and dusted off the dirt on his clothes. The group breathed a collective sigh of relief as the brunet calmed down.

The rest of the journey was filled with tension everyone seemed to think the same thing. If Iruka the usually calm teacher reacted this badly to seeing Naruto in chains, then how would the Hokage herself react?

They should have known by the villager's reaction that the shinobi of the village would be worse. Most of them had worked with Naruto after all, and most of them had developed a bit of a soft spot for the loud mouth.

The mission of getting Naruto back was growing more dangerous the closer they got to their destination. There was more than one shinobi who let a shuriken or kunai slip through their usually steady grips. Strangely, they always seemed to lose their grips in the general direction of the team.

When an explosive tag went off near them, the team lost their nerve and decided to run the remaining distance. Breathing a collective sigh of relief they reached their destination. Neji raised his hand and knocked on the door in front of them. Hearing permission for them to enter they all took a deep breath and opened the doors.

TBC…

Next chapter… Tsunade's reaction and planning to thwart the elders.


	8. More Reactions and Truths

_A/N:_ I am sorry for the long wait and the short update. sighs I could tell you everything that happened but I will spare you all. (See I can be nice!) As all a special thanks to the wonderfully insane Cutsycat for agreeing to beta this. Please note I ABSOLUTELY hate how this chapter turned out, so if you hate it too no hard feelings... OK enough chatter on with the story!

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When an explosive tag went off near them, the team lost their nerve and decided to run the remaining distance. Breathing a collective sigh of relief, they reached their destination. Neji raised his hand and knocked on the door in front of them. Hearing permission for them to enter, they all took a deep breath and opened the doors.

Standing beside Tsunade was Sakura, surely this meant trouble for the team entering. Two of the strongest female shinobi in Konoha, hell that they knew, were about to get a shock. Gulping the team walked in, trying to hide the blond from their view.

Sakura was the first to notice Naruto in chains. Her eyes widened at the sight before she narrowed them and shot her husband a look that should have warned everyone of the things to come.

"Just what the hell have you done?" she shrieked, while striding over and grabbing her husband by his ear. "Do you realize _who_ it is that you have in chains?"

"Calm down Sakura-koi," Lee pleaded. "Really just let us explain!"

Tsunade was seething at the sight of her gaki in chains. Not bothering to keep the anger out of her voice she asked in her most menacing tone, "THIS is what you call _bringing him back_?"

"There were complications." Kakashi said with a smile.

Seeing Naruto in chains and Kakashi smiling seemed to break what little resolve Tsunade had to not cause bodily harm to the shinobi in front of her.

"I said to bring him home! NOT bring him home in chains!" She screeched. Since Kakashi was too far from her to physically reach him she started throwing any object that she could get her hands on at the copy nin.

Naruto sat down in the corner, confident he wouldn't get hit, and watched her throw a temper tantrum. Since most of it was directed at Kakashi he felt vindicated in doing this. 'He shouldn't have made that smart ass remark about me,' he thought.

When the blond Hokage got to her supply closet and started throwing very sharp pointy things at them Kakashi jumped to the ceiling and told her to calm down. Needless to say this did not go over well. She tossed several well-aimed Senbon Needles at Kakashi, which to his delight missed his groin, though only barely. Sensing that his life, and manhood, truly was in danger he made his way out of the window and onto the roof.

"Get back in here you coward!" she yelled at him.

"I'm not a coward, I'm only making a tactical withdrawal." He yelled back "I'll come back in when you have calmed down."

She threw her desk outside of the window before taking a deep breath and going for Naruto. "Come here gaki and I'll get you out of those chains that these _'men'_ put you in."

Naruto carefully avoided her and positioned himself behind Iruka before replying, "You can't take them off Baa-chan, and Sakura-chan stop strangling your husband, he really hasn't done anything wrong."

"Don't be ridiculous Naruto, you don't have to protect them. Now come here and let me get them off." She replied through gritted teeth.

Naruto bounced around the room doing his best to avoid being caught. That worked out very well for him until he got a little too close to a certain pink haired kunoichi. As soon as he was in her reach, she grabbed him and told him to shut up and to do as he was told. No matter how much he begged her and Tsunade to listen to him, they still tried to remove the shackles from the paniced blond. Much to Naruto's delight, and the two kunoichi's disgust, Gaara had decided that enough was enough and used his sand to free his friend from their grasp.

"Hokage-san, Sakura-san; please stop doing as you please and listen to what he has to say," the Kazekage said calmly.

"Thanks Gaara," Naruto said while heading to the window and leaning out to call in his hidden mate.

He whispered 'coward,' as his mate peeked in to make sure it was all clear before entering through the window.

"Are we ready to discuss the details of this mission without any physical violence?" Kakashi asked warily.

As Sakura and Tsunade felt the sand around them constrict tighter, they knew it was a promise of death if they did not agree. The two kunoichi decided that their life meant something to them and nodded their agreement and were released from the sand. Even though they had stopped chasing Naruto, the elder of the two glared at the now present copy nin. Everything was calm, even if it was a little tense, until Naruto opened his big mouth.

"Would you please stop glaring at my mate!" he yelled and then covered his mouth. His eyes widened as he took in everyone's reaction to this bit of news. Gaara just smirked, most of the others had a look of utter shock on their faces. Kakashi stood there in a daze as two very angry figures approached him. The copy nin was sure he had not heard correctly, surely Naruto would have told HIM first if they were mates. He didn't snap out of his shock induced daze until he felt a fist connect with his jaw.

"WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO MY GAKI?" Tsunade screamed.

"You perverted bastard, you keep your filthy hands off of my Naruto!" said a very angry Iruka as he launched himself toward the fallen man. As soon as he was close enough, he wrapped his hands around the slim neck intending to kill the man who he thought had taken his otouto's innocence. After all Kakashi was a pervert and the blond was as pure as winter's white snow.

The blond in question was in a panic as he watched his mate being choked and beaten to death. He desperately started to pull at the enraged duo. As soon as he managed to pull one off of the silver haired nin though another was on him. He kept trying to get it through to them that Kakashi had done nothing and hadn't even known he was his mate.

Noticing his friend's distress and the lack of involvement from the rest of Naruto's so called 'friends' in the room Gaara once again used his sand to help. He nodded to Naruto as the blond silently thanked him and checked over his beaten mate. Seeing that there was no life threatening injuries, he turned to the two captives and began berating them.

"What in the hell do you think you were doing?" Naruto yelled at the two furious figures before him.

"It's obvious that he is trying to pervert you Naruto." Iruka said desperately. His otouto had to understand what the older man was trying to do to him.

"Huh? How in the world is Kakashi trying to pervert me?" He was honestly curious, the poor man had done nothing to him, OK so they had kissed and groped, but he sure as hell hadn't objected to it.

"He's obviously talked you into thinking that he is your mate Naruto. I am sure if you were to choose your own mate it would be someone closer to your own age." Tsunade said knowingly.

It was all too much for the young man to take, he collapsed to the floor laughing and holding his sides. The ninja in the room looked at him, afraid he had finally snapped. Kakashi sat up wincing in pain before poking the blond next to him in the ribs and asking for an explanation.

"Gomen Kaka koi, but I just couldn't help but laugh at them. Did you two happen to notice that Kakashi was as shocked as you at the news? No? Well he was shocked because HE had just learned that I had chosen him as my mate."

"YOU chose him?" Iruka asked suspiciously.

"Yes I chose him, not the other way around, so if you two wouldn't mind not grilling us on it we have REAL problems here. So why doesn't everyone calm down so I can tell you WHY I am in shackles?"

"After all this is over, I will expect a full explanation of this mate business." Tsunade said.

"Hai, hai Baa-chan, anything you say." Naruto said while smiling, "Thanks Gaara, could you let them down now?"

Tsunade dusted herself off and then narrowed her eyes at the other blond in the room and asked the question that had been nagging her since he took off on the mission, "Why did you not come to the celebration the night you left?"

"Wha- you mean Sasuke's welcome home party? I was told I wasn't welcomed there." Naruto said with a frown. Surely she hadn't gone senile in his short departure?

"It was NOT to celebrate HIM coming home but to celebrate YOUR succeeding in you mission to bring him home. The villagers and many others were very disappointed that the guest of honor never showed." She frowned, knowing just how badly the Elders had manipulated her gaki.

Naruto sat down on the floor looking confused before whispering, "The Elders told me everyone was upset with how I had brought him back home. They had contacted them and there was such an outcry for my death that I had no choice but to take this mission. If I didn't take it then the villagers would take things into their own hands and mob me."

Seeing Naruto in distress, Kakashi threw caution into the wind and wrapped his arms around him. Slightly rocking him and cooing words of comfort to his mate. He liked that thought... HIS mate, and the elders were going to pay for hurting him.

"I guess they did me in good all the way around huh? First tricking me into thinking that everyone hated me then into tricking me into signing the contract about that damned mission. I wonder what they are planning on doing to me." Naruto mused out loud.

Before anyone could ask any further questions about the contract several Elders walked into the room grinning viciously at the blond captive. Smirking, the head speaker looked around the room and then finally stated the reason for their presence, "I see that you either went against orders or failed in your mission, demon. You know what this means for you. Hokage-san, please call Ibiki in here, he has some cleaning up to do."

TBC...

Runs far away as fast as I can


	9. Decisions Decision

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, sadly that means I do not own it and have gained nothing but personal satisfaction for writing this.

A/N: Special thanks to Cutsycat and Drivven. This is the last Chapter. I am already working on the Epilogue and after that it really will over. I think I am sad and happy to see this coming to a close. Thank you all for supporting me and leaving me wonderful reviews. hugs

OK Enough with the emotional crap. On with the story!

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Before anyone could ask any further questions about the contract several Elders walked into the room grinning viciously at the blond captive. Smirking, the head speaker looked around the room and then finally stated the reason for their presence, "I see that you either went against orders or failed in your mission, demon. You know what this means for you. Hokage-san, please call Ibiki-san in here, he has some cleaning up to do."

"I will NOT send for him, we can settle this without the use of my interrogator." she said sternly.

"You are too emotionally involved with the demon, therefore we have no choice but to bring in someone who is not involved to mete out his punishment." The head speaker said while motioning for one of the others to fetch the person in question.

"And just _what_ is his punishment to be?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"Death by public hanging, of course. This way everyone in the village will feel safe knowing that the demon is forever gone from our presence." he replied as if it was the most obvious answer to the question that had been asked.

"You old fools seem to be the only ones who are frightened by him! If you continue with this farce I will not be held accountable for any actions the villagers might take out on you." Tsunade said viciously.

"Are you threatening us Hokage-sama? We are the most respected people in Konohgakure, do you really think anyone other than yourself and the demon would dare to go against our wishes? Yoshimaru please go and make the public ready for the upcoming celebration. Let them know that the streets will once again be safe to wander at night." The elder said grandly.

"On your heads be it. I hope that the Yondaime comes back to haunt every last one of you."

"You are never to speak his name in such a manner! Yondaime was an honorable and respected shinobi, to speak his name in front of the very demon who killed him is sacrilege."

"Why is it dishonorable to speak my father's name? He was the one who did this to me and I'm sure he is so very pleased at your actions i _Oh Great Elder_s /i " Naruto said sarcastically while snuggling further into Kakashi's chest.

"Which of you told him this lie? Well? Speak up! Which of you have besmirched the Yondaime's name by telling the demon this lie? If I discover who did this you shall pay dearly." The elder threatened.

"No one had to tell me a thing. Unlike you I do not need glasses to see the truth. Just look at his picture you old fool, I look like his twin!" Naruto said hotly.

The elder was spared having to respond as the interrogation-nin walked through the door. He turned to the door before continuing. "Morino-san, please remove this garbage to the holding cell while plans are made for it."

Ibiki walked over to where Kakashi was holding on to his blond and winked at the furious man before deviating from his path and walked to the garbage can filled with paper. He picked it up with a sour face and started to walk out muttering about how he had been demoted to a garbage man.

"Morino-san the garbage in which I was speaking is still in this room. Let me clarify, remove this demon from our presence."

"Might I inquire as to the charges that he is to be held under?" Ibiki said stiffly.

"The charge is failure to complete a contracted mission." the elder said grandly.

"I have never heard of someone being jailed for failure to complete a contract."

"Yes, well this is a special contract and he won't be jailed for long I assure you. Just long enough for us to set up his hanging." the elder said in what he thought was a reassuring tone. The old man understood Ibiki's reluctance to keep a demon in his cell.

Ibiki was getting seriously upset. He had a bit of a soft spot for the young blond. Naruto had been the only one to ever get through one of Ibiki's tests without ever answering a single question much to the man's surprise. Plus he couldn't help but remember all those lonely nights when he had watched the boy cry himself to sleep after the villagers had been particularly cruel. Ibiki was relieved that the villagers themselves grew out of their hatred and now saw him as he was instead of what he housed. Still it looked like he should have been looking more toward the inner circle of power than the villagers. There was no way in hell he would let all his, and many other shinobi's, hard work through out the years be crushed by bigoted old farts.

"I see." Ibiki said said through tight lips "Might I see this contract?"

"Of course Ibiki-san." The head elder said while fishing out the contract in question and handing it to him.

He quickly scanned through the contract and winced at the wording and possible legality of the contract. They had to have tricked the blond into taking such an idiotic suicide mission, of that he was sure. He handed the contract to Naruto and asked, "Naruto-kun did you sign this contract?"

Naruto looked over then contract and got a sick look on his face before confirming that he had indeed signed the contract in question by silently nodding his head.

"What were you told when you were given this contract?" the interrogation-nin asked while reaching for the document back.

"That it was the will of Konohagakure, that they had many letters of concern from the villagers about me being allowed to roam the streets and that the shinobi were complaining about how terrible it was to have to work beside the demon who had tried to destroy the very village they were trying to protect." Naruto dutifully told the scarred man word for word of what he remembered of that meeting.

"Gentlemen is what he said true and do you really have such letters of complaint?" Ibiki asked seriously while his stomach was starting to feel heavy. Things were definitely not looking well for the young blond.

"Hai, it is as he said, and yes we do have the letters of complaint. True that they are several years old, but the complaints still stand we are sure."

"Why have you waited so long to do something about those complaints if they are true?" he asked calmly. He needed to find some loop hole in that damnable contract if he was going to keep his word, of helping to protect the blond, that he had given to Sarutobi.

"We have tried on many occasions to rid this village of the demon. Hokage-sama always found a way to put a stop to it though."

"I see, how did she stop you then?" Ibiki said while trying to stall for time so that he could come up with a way to save the blond idiot.

"I refused them access to MY ANBU teams." Tsunade growled.

"Selfish as always. Why do you continuously protect that thing?"

"Maybe because HE is Konohagakure's HOPE and you fools are the only ones too blind to see it! Do you have any idea how many times he saved this village?" she yelled.

"Demons do not save anything, they destroy it!" the elder yelled.

Gaara was, to put it bluntly, sick and tired of the 'adults' acting like three year olds bickering over a toy. Naruto was his best friend and by no means anyone's toy to use or discard as they pleased. He stepped up and nosily cleared his throat to hopefully get the attention of the older... adults, though he was unsure if that term fit them.

"Kazakage-sama, forgive our rudeness, but we are in the middle of something that does not concern Sunagakure. If you would please give us a few minutes to handle this... problem, I am sure Hokage-sama will see to your needs." the elder said dismissively.

"Naruto was apprehended in Suna and I have something of far more importance than your current bickering." the red haired Kage said in disdain while handing Tsunade a scroll.

The elder sputtered upon hearing Gaara's words, how dare he dismiss him, HE was an elder to be listened to! His attention however was quickly diverted with the return of the elder he had sent to rally the town for what he saw as a joyous event. His face went red with obvious anger as the speaker told him of the villagers booing him and then turned white when he heard that they were calling for _their_ heads instead of that of the demon. This was not the way things were supposed to go. They were supposed to love them and hate the smirking blond. His head jerked toward Tsunade as she let out a loud sigh and rubbed her temples.

"Are you sure of this Kazekage-sama? This is the only way for us to keep peace?" she asked seriously while trying to hold back the laughter that was threatening to erupt from her. She should have known that the serious young man would have something planned. He was always thinking ahead.

"Very sure Hokage-sama. It is the will of not only myself but of the people of Sunagakure. Do we understand each other?" he asked seriously.

"If this is the only way to keep our peace, so be it. Please give us a few years to at least do some training so the transition will go smoothly."

"Agreed."

"Very well then, let it be known, today in front of these witnesses, that in order to maintain peace I am naming one Uzumaki, Naruto as my successor. Congratulations gaki, it looks like your dream of becoming Hokage is finally becoming reality. As your first duty as Hokage-in-training I will let you decide what to do with the elders." she said with a smirk.

The elders sat there sputtering incoherently. This was not the way they had planned for things to go. Not only was the demon still alive, but he was now in succession to the seat of Hokage, thus giving him more power than they had. Why was Kami punishing them? They had always thought of the village first!

Naruto sat there and stared wide eyed as everyone in the room, minus the elders of course, was congratulating him on achieving his dream. He looked at his mate, then to his best friend trying to get a grasp on everything. He finally came to the conclusion that he had to be dreaming so pinched his own arm to see if it was real. He yelped at the pain he felt, yes it really was real. He let tears of happiness run down his face un-ashamed of who could see them. He grasped the hands of those congratulating him though when his friend offered his hand he wrapped him up in a hug thanking him over and over. Finally he turned to his mate and hugged him, relieved that the whole ordeal was finally over.

"What are you going to do about the elders?" Kakashi whispered in his ear.

_"Let me out to bite off their damned heads. Would only serve them right after all they did to you." Kyuubi said with a growl._

_"No you're not going to bite off any heads." Naruto said while trying not to roll his eyes at the demons child-like behavior._

Naruto took a deep breath and turned to face his tormentors. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to cast the same punishment on them that they had cast on him. He would not stoop to their level. Still they couldn't be allowed to do this to anyone else.

"I am unsure as to their mental stability and their ability to help guide me and this village for the best. By them trying to hand me over to the Akatsuki they have shown their lack of concern for the village. For they would have surely used Kyuubi to terrify this peaceful village and bring war here. Therefore I order them all to be placed in the new home for the elderly. They are to be cared for, though they may not leave the facility without a shinobi escort. I will still need a council however, so I shall go back to the system that the first and second Hokage set up. Please inform the heads of the clans of their new responsibility. Tell them that if they have a problem following me then they are dismissed as well. I only want this village to go forward and flourish. Agreeable?"

_"Well done Kit, still, you should have let me bite them. Ah well, now maybe I can relax for a bit." Kyuubi said with a small sigh._

"Nicely done Naruto, you handled that like a true leader. Ibiki, please gather the needed shinobi to help you follow out his orders. Now then, shall we go out to the crowd and let them have a real reason to celebrate?" Tsunade said with a smile.

"Hai." was his only reply as he grasped Kakashi's hand and headed out to his villagers and his new future.

_Fin_


	10. Epi

A/N: Sorry for the wait folks, I was trying to get this one out at the same time as my adult version… which sadly has yet to happen growls I am as unhappy with this as the one before, but this is it folks the true end of See Me. It has been a long journey so to those who have been with me since the beginning, thank you. For those just finding this; you're lucky. Hugs to all. Ja e and happy reading!

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Three years had passed since the life turning events had occurred. He wasn't so sure that the mission had been cursed now. True that Kakashi had been grilled over an open flame by Tsunade, Iruka, and surprisingly Sasuke, he would have thought that it would have been Sakura grilling their old sensei not the avenger, still the man had lived and had even escaped grievous bodily injury.

He sighed as he remembered how broken his 'brother' had been when he had finally done as he had set out to do in the beginning of his shinobi life. Kakashi had warned the young Uchiha that living for revenge was no way to live and that it would only lead down a dark path to heartache. Curse the older man for being so right. Sasuke had become a shell of his former self after killing Itachi.

There had also been a few shouting matches between him and Kakashi when Sasuke had slipped in through his window one night to curl up to him for sleep and comfort. Naruto had only smiled when that had happened, he finally had his brother back, and he had to admit that it felt damn good. Still Kakashi had found out, not that he Naruto was hiding it in the first place, and had been jealous; it had taken Naruto many hours and a few hits to get the older man to understand that _he, Hatake Kakashi _was his only mate, he would never leave nor cheat on him and that Sasuke was his brother, nothing more and nothing less. That he was only offering the raven comfort, the kind of comfort you would give to a family member, besides the raven was currently chasing after Sai, not him. It wasn't until Kakashi had caught the two making out that he had believed him.

Naruto shook himself out of his thoughts. Now was not the time for a trip down memory lane. Now was the time to be nervous as. He heard the crowd outside cheer and decided that yes he was right, this is the time to be nervous, possibly even to throw up. He adjusted his white robe with flames adorning the bottom hem for what seemed like the thousandth time. He was finally following in his father's footsteps and he hoped that where ever the man was he had made him proud.

"Relax Naruto, they all love you." Kakashi said while placing a kiss on the blond's temple.

"But what if I screw something up?" Naruto asked while peeking wide eyed at the mass of people who had gathered for this event.

"Then they will grill you on an open flame and eat your liver with fava beans, just kidding. Look, you won't let yourself screw up. This is the day your dream of becoming a Hokage finally comes true. The other Kages already know and accept you, the shinobi have declared their loyalty to you, the head's of the clans have agreed to be your advisers and new council, hell you even made the Hyuuga's stop doing the cursed seal and found a better way to protect their secrets than what they had. Why are you so nervous?" The copy-nin said exasperatedly.

"Well... I don't know. I'm just... nervous I guess, it's all happening so fast that it feels like a dream." Naruto said while leaning on his mate for support.

Kakashi pinched his arm hard enough to make the blond yelp and earned him a glare as well. "There that proves it's not a dream, and how on earth can it be moving too fast? You've been training for this and dreaming of this for as long as I have known you, longer in fact if what Iruka said is true. Tell you what; make it through the ceremony and party afterwards then tonight I will help you christen your new bed." he whispered seductively in his mate's ear before pushing him out in front of the crowd. He knew that the blond had no reason to worry; he would be beside him every step of the way to catch him should he falter or fall.

Naruto blushed and raised his hand in greeting to the waiting masses. He took a deep breath to calm himself and went through the ritualistic vows of keeping the village and villagers safe. Making sure that they would be prosperous even in this long awaited time of peace. He accepted the hat from Tsunade and thanked everyone for welcoming him and making the transition an easy and peaceful one for him before departing and heading to the smaller celebration amongst the other Kages, advisors, and a select few shinobi.

He had to let out a quiet chuckle when he noticed how formal everyone was being. Perhaps he should slip out into the village and the much livelier celebration that they were having. Formal and stuffy was never his forte. Well, maybe he could get them drunk to liven things up. He wasn't sure what it would do to their reputations if the general public found out that they had a human side, though in his opinion it would probably do a world of good.

"You are planning something, don't. It's too early in your career as Hokage for you to be getting on the other Kage's bad side." Gaara warned him quietly as he slipped up behind him.

"Are they always so formal and stuffy?" he asked his best friend. If he hadn't known Gaara as well as he did he would have yelped at the stoic man's quiet approach.

"Yes, they… we are not like you. We take everything very seriously." The Kazekage replied while sipping his drink in a most dignified manner.

"What a drag. Maybe I should have just stayed a regular shinobi." Naruto said with a pout.

"Give us time; perhaps you will rub off on us. It wouldn't be the first time for me the Kazekage said with a small smile before schooling his face back to it's neutral and bored look before heading over to some of the other Kages to discuss politics.

Naruto leaned back against the wall and let a sigh escape him. He wasn't sure that he had made the right career choice if this is what his future held. To quote Shikamaru, it was all too troublesome and in his opinion, boring as hell.

The 'party', though he used that term as loosely as possible, lasted for several more mind numbing hours. Just as he was sure that he would go insane from boredom the guests started to trickle out. 'Probably to disguise themselves and head to a more lively party, not that I blame them.' Naruto thought to himself as he said farewells and thank-you to the parting dignitaries.

"Ready to leave yet Hokage-sama?" his smirking mate said after the last guest had left.

"Very ready, and don't call me that when we are alone, it makes me feel like a snob, lets get out of here and _discuss _our earlier talk." He said with a mischievous smile gracing his face.

"If all we are going to do is 'discuss' it I think I would rather go to the party outside." Kakashi said playfully.

"Move your ass Hatake Kakashi, NOW!" Naruto growled out as he spun around and marched to his new rooms.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." the copy-nin said with his trademark grin on his face while following his mate who was headed toward their new rooms. They had decided that once he was fully the Hokage they would move in together. Not a widely acceptable notion and one his advisors were strongly against but one that Naruto would not back down on he had been alone too long in his life to let his mate slip through his fingers, and for this Kakashi was grateful.

As soon as the copy-nin entered their shared rooms he was attacked by a blond blur. He barely managed to stay upright as said blond jumped up on him and wrapped his legs around his waist and his mask pulled down before his mouth was invaded by a soft moist tongue. Moaning as tingles made his way down his spine and headed straight for his groin. Finally the lack of oxygen made the kiss end.

"In a hurry are we?" he asked while trying to get his breathing and libido back under control.

"Yes, I want you in me so badly. Mmm Kakashi, please." Naruto moaned as he felt his neck being gently sucked on.

"Not until I ask you a very serious question." he said while pulling away from the lustful blond. He needed his wits about him if he was going to do this right.

"Wha-? I want to have sex and here you are THINKING! Just what is so important that our activities have to wait?" Naruto said with a huff. He didn't want to think anymore today, he wanted to christen their new bed like Kakashi had suggested earlier in the day.

"Naruto, even though it's against every-one's wishes and the law, you do realize you need to change that; will you marry me?" Kakashi asked after he had gotten to his knee. He stayed there nervous of his mate's response. His nervousness grew as the blond just stood there doing his impersonation of a landed fish. Was that a good sign or bad? He had been relatively sure that Naruto would jump him or yell at him, not just sit there. Maybe he was moving a little too fast, or perhaps the younger man had just had too many shocks to the system for one day. Just as he was getting ready to put away the ring and claim it was all a joke, his mate finally jumped him, knocking him to the floor while repeatedly kissing him and saying 'yes' between each kiss.

Kakashi bent down and claimed his mate's mouth again. This time in a much slower and sensual kiss he ran his fingers through the soft blond locks. He slowly pulled away and whispered, "Now let me make love to you." before standing up and carrying his fiancée off to their new bedroom. The lovemaking was slow and sweeter than it had ever been and had lasted until the early hours of the morning.

After a few hours of rest Naruto got up and stretched out the kinks in his back. He looked at his fiancée's peacefully sleeping face and smiled before heading to the large window that over looked the village. He smiled wider as he saw the kids start to make their way to the academy. Yes his life had been, and was still, complicated; but nonetheless it was perfect for him. He leaned back into the broad chest of his mate as he felt equally strong arms wrap around his waist.

"Are you happy Naruto?" Kakashi whispered into his ears.

"Happier than I have ever been in my whole life; I have a mate that loves me, a village to protect, a family of sorts, friends, and my health. What more could a man ask for?" he asked sleepily.

Kakashi tugged him away from the window and back toward the bed. He wanted to get a few more hours of sleep. He let a jaw popping yawn and smiled before whispering, "Let's see if you still feel that way in a few years."

"Oh I will Kakashi, believe me I will." he whispered back while burying his head into Kakashi's chest and following him into a blissful sleep. He would think about changing the law later, right now all he wanted to think about was how good he felt in Kakashi's arms. Yes life was good, and no matter what came his way, as long as Kakashi was by his side, it would remain good.


End file.
